My only little brother(cousin) left me forever on the night of 4th November 2009.He had cancer for the past one year, he tried fighting it and for a moment there we were sure he would win, however the almighty had other plans for this exceptionally intelligent young man. i have tried to drown the sorrow in jokes, my job and whiskey but something feels wrong. Amark or "luchi" as i liked to call him was a prolific reader and an exceptional writer , he had his own quirky way of looking at things.He was also the person who introduced me to the internet and hence made "bengalraider" possible .Though I never got to know him too well as he was born and brought up in the united states he was/is still close to my heart . After his death i have discovered some of the articles he wrote and would like to share them with all of you, i am sure he would have loved to know that his writing had crossed the globe.I am also attaching a link to his online obituary please send some words of support to his family.

When I first came on this campus for orientation, I remember stepping out of the Atrium hearing a weird monotone bass sound. It was someone yelling, and eventually I discovered the source: a gangly man in a scarf was reading from the Bible, to little or no audience. My orientation guide saw my puzzled expression and said "oh, that's the Fair weather Preacher. He stands out there reading all the time."
He then smiled, and I swear there was a twinkle in his eye, "but Preacher Gary...you'll like him."
Before I met Gary, I met his legend. Rumor had that he pointed to girls wearing pants and called them whores and claimed to be without sin (anyone who has even flipped through the Cliff's Notes for the Bible knows this isn't true since Christ is the only one without sin). His past had rumors equally bizarre; he claimed to be a Hell's Angel and that his wife left him after he stopped beating her. There's even rumors that Gary was hired by universities or is a living straw man to inspire students to think and into action.
When I first met him, it was outside the Talley Student Center. About three students took turns yelling arguments at him, while the rest shouted insults and jeers at him. Gary himself was about as bigoted as the rumors led you to believe; he condemned students to hell, put himself on a pedestal of purity and denigrated women as much as he could.
Back in March of this year, Gary was kicked out of UNC's version of the Brickyard, the Pit, for refusing to follow noise ordinances. I haven't seen him much around since then.
I must say that I have missed him. True, Gary and those like him tend to just wander campuses, spitting venomous insults and hurting student's feelings. But what's amazing is the uniting Gary seemed to foster. Atheist, Christian, Muslim, black, brown, white, everyone hated Gary. It was a sight to see. Students, sometimes as many as a few hundred, circling this preacher and yelling at him, drowning out his words. Maybe it's because Gary warps and abuses the idea of Christianity and Christ's love. Maybe it's because Gary resembles what all demagogues like him should a rambling old man with no friends and no respect, yelling about pants and "dem durn" brown people. Maybe it's just because he's kind of evil in every way. But Gary united people on campus. He was entertaining.
I did miss Gary...until today. When walking to my class on Thursday at about one 1 p.m., I saw a new man yelling in the Brickyard, surrounded by at least a hundred students. A few came up to him and started arguing. One girl was brought to tears as he said that she had no faith in Christ. Another was accused of...rape, somehow, for suggesting that the man was just as much a sinner as anyone else. His name was Brother Micah, and he was just as wonderfully stubborn and bigoted as Gary.
So I did something I've never done before; I got in his face and made fun of him. I suggested that he was a homosexual and secretly wanted me. I yelled rap lyrics at the crowd over his bigotry (did you know gangster rap will send you to hell?). I belittled every aspect about him and called him a racist.
And it was FUN.
I don't want the Brickyard Preachers to leave. Even if they are horrible (Brother Micah should be ashamed of himself for making that girl cry) and *****ic, they can also be hilarious fun. They are like ideological Twinkies- no matter how hard you hit them, they bounce right back up into their original pasty goo-filled shapes.
God bless Brother Micah and Preacher Gary. Their hate-filled bigotry unites us and they are completely harmless in the process. Heck, if you saw me there or you were there, drop me a line. Let's set up an entire Facebook group. We can meet whenever they convene, and have gay people make out while the straight people read pornographic stories out loud. Let's make it an event.
Because the only way to have something like a victory against these people isn't to convince them they are wrong, but to make them into the objects of hilarity that they are.

Source: Technician - Think before downloading
By Amark Patra
Published: Sunday, August 26, 2007
Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2008
College has quite a few advantages over home. Aside from classes, there are clubs, computer labs, the library and that wonderful internet connection. Many students came to N.C. State after using 56k or family computers, so going from that to what is pretty much a dedicated T1 line overwhelms most students. Few students do what they did at home: download illegal music.
The problem is the Record Industry Association of America knows this and keeps its all-seeing eye on colleges particularly. So far, at least 50 lawsuits have been filed against students at NCSU for illegally downloading music. They have all opted to settle for several thousand dollars.
The University doesn't like it either, from what I can tell, but what can it do? The University can't take on the giants of the recording industry. But what exactly is the RIAA's beef with piracy? First of all, the RIAA likes to hide behind the idea that piracy takes away money from artists, which is not true. As much as Lars Ulrich wants to complain about it, he really doesn't get much from those record sales.
Artists get most of their money from concerts and from CD sales during the concert. However, the RIAA has a $2 surcharge built into all the CDs they sell along with a clause that two percent of the manufacturer's sales must be given to the RIAA. Not buying albums hurts the RIAA, not the artists.
Same with that lawsuit money -- when the RIAA settled with MP3.com for 158 million dollars, only the labels received the money, not the artists. The RIAA also likes to rely on your sense of "logic". After all, if you can get something for free, why would you buy it? Except bottled water. People will buy stuff solely on the implied quality of the product. Physical copies of CDs do look nice, and come with more extras. If CDs didn't cost so much because of all the artificial inflation the RIAA put on them, and if they weren't all packages for singing lessons on the radio -- it's actually known as Tub-thumper Syndrome -- after the famous single by Chumbawumba that was sold with a bunch of horrid songs, more people would buy them.
Studies have shown that people who illegally download music also buy a lot more than those that don't download. This is because they are more invested in music than people who just listen to the radio. And really, the industry has started changing.
I-Tunes has been a massive success, allowing people to buy those singles and not the chaff that surrounds it. More and more artists release albums for free on their Web sites, and some adapt to piracy. When in die pop band Stars found out its latest album had been leaked, the band pre-released it on their Web site for cheap, and when the album releases in September for normal price, it will for a limited time come with a bonus DVD.
Rap artist Chamillionaire has released three mix tape collections and a DVD for free in order to encourage fans to buy his album instead of pirating it. Alternative rock bands Rilo Kiley and Eisley both released their albums in entirety for streamed listening on their Web sites. And that ignores the artists that are just releasing stuff for free with no want of money; Jamendo.com operates on the same principles of Wikipedia and has thousands of mp3s and albums available for free from artists all around the world.
Everyone but the RIAA has realized the world has changed. Eventually, they'll hit a wall; there's no way to legislate everything. But you're probably a cool person, so just a bit of advice. Try to cut down on the illegal downloading for a bit.
If you want a single you should check out the band's Web site. Most bands have them for free on their sites. You want music and supporting artists -- we've actually got a surprisingly good local music scene and the DJs at WKNC. They can help you out with finding upcoming concerts and a nice place to chill. Buy albums if you want to, but I'm not advocating piracy at all. The RIAA will lose.
So don't jump on Limewire immediately after getting that new computer hooked up. Just think about it for a second, find better and legal opportunities to get music, and eventually, they'll be gone and we can start getting a market that actually reflects good taste instead of whatever sells the most.

By Amark Patra
Published: Thursday, August 2, 2007
Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2008
My mom calls me a few times a week and every time I mention doing something like going to a concert or cooking dinner, she hints or just outright says that I'm in college to study, not to do other things. I disagree with this, and I'm sure you all do as well (unless you're Mom who I'm sure will call me tomorrow), because we didn't come to college to study. And we didn't come just to get a degree for a job. If you did, I really don't even know why you are reading the Viewpoint section. It isn't furthering your one minded goal of getting a degree and getting out.
No, we came to college to learn. And I don't mean just in class. All those parties, small social interactions, awkward pauses in conversation, flirting, all of that is learning. We're learning about ourselves, and I genuinely love that. People are so interesting that I could spend forever just getting to know them.
But no one does spend all their time with people, and it's what I do in these little moments between class and friends that makes me feel so alien compared to the rest of the campus. See, I read. Because I love learning, and that's what we're here for.
D. H. Hill holds most of the 3.6 million books that N.C. State has floating around. So why have I never seen people reading? Oh, don't get me wrong, students study there all the time, especially around exam times. The humanities majors leave the library like pack mules, carrying dozens of books for that crucial final paper. The East Wing tends to always be populated, especially the new game stations. But how many of these people use it as an actual library instead of just additional work for class or a place to study?
I don't get it. Why don't people want to know things? There are books in D.H. Hill about everything. We have translations of rare Japanese novels, the first works of cult-classic authors, histories of film directors and manuals that teach you anything under the sun.
It'd be one thing if everyone was going elsewhere and learning things, but we aren't. That sounds like a bad judgment call, and maybe it is, so bless all of you who don't enjoy wasting your time and do learn independently. But it's so rare. Even fiction gets you a weird look, if it isn't Harry Potter. I've tried asking quite a few people what the last five books they read were. Aside from Mr. Potter, they're all required by classes or just blank stares.
Compared to TV or videogames or sudoku puzzles, reading gives you so much. Do I really need to give examples? Because of D. H. Hill, I know how to dance, how to play the guitar, how to teach someone else to play the guitar, how to actually think for myself and question everything, how to understand that which is outside my culture, and just so much more -- and I'm still single, ladies. I'm a better person because I read. Simple as that.
We're in college. We are here to learn. Anyone who says they'd rather read a book than participate in a social activity is probably socially stunted, so I'm not going to agree with that. But please realize that reading and learning isn't just a good thing to do, it's essential to being a decent human being. Don't say books are for when you're in class, and that you just don't have time. You finished reading this article, after all. So pick up a book. If you don't like it, go for another. We've got 3.6 million ways to become a better person on this campus, so use them.

By Amark Patra
Published: Thursday, July 26, 2007
Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2008
It's not that hard to be funny. Really, it isn't. Jokes, when you boil them down, are pretty simple.
First, you take a situation. Then at the end, reverse expectations. A man walks into a bar, and says "Ow!"
See! You jump to the conclusion that the man wishes to enter a bar and what do you know, I've switched the meaning on you! Most jokes are more glorified versions of this. And you know, a person with killer delivery can sell even the above to you and make you smile, if not laugh; Emo Phillips and the late Mitch Hedberg had dynamite delivery and were funny. Standup comedians have figured out a
lot of ways to make us laugh. Most of them are successful on their own merits and they are funny women and men. Two of them, however, are dreadful people and should not be paid a cent.
Carlos Mencia gets to be first on the chopping block. First off, let's get this out of the way; he steals jokes.
I know this is a big deal in the comedic circuit, so if you already know about it, skip over the next paragraph.
Comedians like Joe Rogan have been calling Mencia out on stealing jokes. The evidence is overwhelming; youtubing Mencia's name brings up videos of his jokes played alongside Bill Cosby, Lopez, and many other comedians. A few of them are weaker connections, but others are damning, such as Mencia being outed live by a DJ after stealing a joke another DJ had made years previous.
This wouldn't be so bad if Mencia could make jokes, but he can't. He relies on racial stereotypes, but completely lacks Chapelle's sense of wry humor and general quality and instead comes off as, well, a racist.
His delivery is less that of a skilled comedian and more of Edward Scissorhands as an obstetrician. He murders jokes that aren't even his. Just stop listening to him already.
Secondly; Dane Cook is not funny at all.
Cook fails to understand the first part of that breakdown in the beginning of this article: the situation.
Cook describes long scenarios, something that's a comedy tenet, but they are situations that cannot happen at all. He puts on a goofy face, makes a sound effect that sometimes sounds accurate and other times sounds just like he's spitting in his hand, and does a long drawn out comedy bit that just ... would never happen. There's nothing there! It's fluff! There are no expectations to reverse because he's just saying random phrases that have nothing to do with each other, and there's no joke!
As an example: Cook once had a skit about how he ran into an atheist on the bus and, being a Catholic, has a conversation with him. The skit opens with, yup, goofy face and sound effects where this atheist guy sneezes on Cook and the snot is like, so gross, hyuk hyuk. And then Cook says "God bless you" and the atheist says (can you guess!) "Ugh, no thanks" and argues with Cook about the existence of God.
Already, this is something that just ... won't happen. What kind of atheist decides to pick a fight on a bus with someone who was being polite? Well, people can be mean, you say. So let's give Cook a let with this highly improbably scenario.
Cook then says the atheist tells him he will be reborn as a tree.
...What? When did atheism mean HINDUISM?
His standup is full of this stuff. That's all it is! Even his infamous coats bit is not something that ever happens. These are not jokes, they are random words strung together so Cook can reach over and stroke your ego and you say "Ah, yes, this is how I would react as well to this situation" and you ignore the fact that there never was a joke.
The next time you hear one of these guys, don't just giggle because they said words. Ask yourself; was that funny? Or was it just improbable situations with different actors so that Cook can make another goofy face and treat us like we're in kindergarten? Or was it a racist joke you heard in class the other
day that Mencia's now using?
Quit supporting unfunny people already. And if you think those two guys are hilarious and I'm just crazy, I've got this amazing drinking bird that comes up and down for some water that you'd be interested in.

By Amark Patra
Published: Thursday, July 12, 2007
Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2008
We all know who she is. She's the one on Hillsborough Street, the one who asks for change. She kind of talks funny and her tongue lolls around in her mouth. And we walk by her everyday, and when we see her we put our headphones in or start up a fake conversation on our cellphones or basically, avoid eye contact with her.
She's almost as much of N.C. State history as the "Walking Professor" and "Gary the Brickyard Preacher." There are rumors about her: the mandolin player is really a millionaire and takes care of her. She's some professor's relative and they feed her and house her. Sadlack's puts her up a lot of the time in regards to food and shelter. We discuss about her situation but very little about any solution.
There's a problem in the world. I don't say on campus, because I don't believe it's exclusive to us, and I don't say a "growing" problem, because it's probably been around for a while, and we've just learned to live with it.
No one who reads this article is OK with people being homeless, but we walk by them everyday and do absolutely nothing. Oh, sometimes if I'm in a good mood, I might give my change to her, or someone else that asks. But neither I, nor most of the people reading this, have done a single thing to actually combat the problem of the homeless. Or honestly, any problem.
Yet we will make statements to the contrary all the time. I've seen this campus scream and wail about having a joke candidate win the student body presidency, claiming it will raise interest in the student body elections, and then seen absolutely no one show up for the candidate debate forum the next year.
I've seen guys say they are for gay rights, but balk at the mention of stepping in a gay bar. I've seen people say they believe abortion is murder and then somehow just keep on writing notes or eating food.
Of course, these aren't all equal issues. A student body election being a joke and a person exclaiming a woman's right to choose is murder are two different situations. But the reactions are the same; apathy.
We speak loudly but don't even reach for the stick. Fear? Laziness? Reasons why don't interest me.
What's more important is that we can stop it.
I'm not saying everyone needs to sacrifice all their time to help others or stand up for causes. It'd be nice if we could live in that kind of world but we have a lot of things to do and not a lot of time. But we don't sacrifice any time to solve any of the problems.
When did we start to lack conviction behind our beliefs? When did it become OK to have absolutely nothing invested in your opinions? Where did good deeds go?
We all know the annoying kid who sits up front and seems to have an anecdote about everything the professor says. When did we start leaping to quiet insults under our breath to pander to those around us instead of talking to him and telling him what the issue was civilly? Why does everything seem to have a lack of human decency and passion behind it? A small issue, but an indicative one of the group mentality of not caring.
Words are mostly powerless without conviction, compassion, and, yes, love. If you can't muster up the courage to talk to the homeless woman, then volunteer at the soup kitchen. Or heck, even if you don't care about the homeless woman, realize that I'm using a symbol here, and start standing up for what you really care about.
Unless what you care about is just yourself. If that's the case, put your headphones back on, turn that iPod up, and march, head down, through the rest of your life. But the rest of you, realize that it is not just belief but conviction and compassion that shape the world.
Oh and that homeless woman? We're shutting down a women's shelter really soon in Raleigh, so she's about to get some friends. All that believing that the homeless are sad and should be helped hasn't done a thing so far. So let's do something about it.

By Amrak Patra
Published: Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Updated: Saturday, December 13, 2008
I've often found that N.C. State isn't an ugly campus, despite claims that some magazines labeled it in the top ten of ugly colleges. I like the bricks over everything and the buildings that don't match each other at all. It's got a charm. One of my favorite places on campus was the Free Expression tunnel, but careful readers will notice the past tense.
See, the Free Expression tunnel used to be about graffiti. Anyone could grab an aerosol can and make their own, however temporary, mark on campus. There's an interesting statement to be made about how graffiti, originally a territorial marking, has become a transitory art form that anyone can modify or cover up, but that's not the point I'd like to address.
Instead, I've noticed a growing trend of people advertising on the tunnel. I don't mean "Drink Coca Cola," although there's a small amount of that going on as well. The first time I went to the tunnel to practice graffiti, a group of students painted the entire tunnel (as in with paint rollers) in red and wrote the names of students in whatever degree program they were in. That's an extreme example, but it's not an uncommon sight to go through the tunnel and see some fraternity or sorority writing their insignia over a pretty good chunk of the tunnel, or someone advertising some other organization.
Did I miss a memo or something? Did everyone get together and decide that the best use for one of the only outlets for legal graffiti in Raleigh was to paint over it with bulletin board advertisements? Aren't there hundreds of other ways to get your name out there? There are bulletin boards and kiosks all over campus to hang signs on, ads in the Technician (and sometimes an entire article if the event is large enough), The Wolf Web, and let's not forget all that wonderful brick just dying to be chalked upon. It's just kind of beyond me. If someone gave me a can of paint and a canvas and told me to paint, I wouldn't draw the NCSU logo or "Come to the Sock Hop." I'd probably try and express myself in some other way.
But maybe your frat or even the Sock Hop are all part of your intrinsic personality. I know a friend who loves parkour, so he painted the glyph for the sport on the wall. But at least he incorporated it in an interesting way, using lots of colors and writing a few lines under it ("Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, Too bad he didn't know Parkour!"), not just the standard logo.
You know, I'd like it if people used the tunnel for tags and artwork more than just advertising their frats or their colleges. What I don't understand though is why people even bother.
Well, I don't quite understand expressing your love for whatever you're a part of, since I like to define myself not by what I belong to but what I think instead. But I understand that sometimes you meet an organization or a frat that meets those intrinsic qualities, and you want to share it. But if you're going to tag up over someone else's hard work, at least make it interesting. We all know that frats use Greek letters and that colleges have certain people in them or even that the Sock Hop is on Tuesday; the point of art is to make us care, not to recreate logos and slogans.
Graffiti was originally about defying organization and convention. So why are we doing the same corporate hogwash we see on TV?

RIP indeed. Posting this a couple of weeks after his death, I'd imagine you've already faced the situation bravely. Good job, coming to terms with the 'take' part of life's give-and-take. Sincere Condolences to you.

RIP indeed. Posting this a couple of weeks after his death, I'd imagine you've already faced the situation bravely. Good job, coming to terms with the 'take' part of life's give-and-take. Sincere Condolences to you.

It seems that he was an insightful and deep person. May his soul rest in peace.

My deepest condolences to you and your family. And don't drink too much bro, I know it doesn't help.

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Thank You to all of you! It was only yesterday that i discovered the articles he had written, i couldn't make it to the states for his funeral but i still wanted to do something to help people around the world remember who he was and what his views were, kept thinking it over for some time before i decided on this thread.